Ow! My groin!

We reported in TMS this morning that Jaroslav Halak was recalled from Hamilton to back up Huet, because The Franchise Savior (TM) was sick. Now it looks like Halak may be doing alot more than just backing up.

As it turns out, the Christo-Wall pulled a groin (ouch!) during the game Saturday Night. May explain the 3rd period and shootout. He's listed as day-to-day. With Price having the flu, the door seems open for Halak to make his season debut tomorrow night against Detroit. Lots of luck, kid.

Ouay Bounces Back: Habs 2 - Sabres El Zilcho

Someone slipped this compilation of hope springs eternal under Cristo's tear soaked pillow on Saturday night.

Hope, the belief in a positive outcome, or that after acting like an arrow pointing towards the net on one night, one can resist the urge to roll out the red carpet again for every shot directed on goal the next.

Maybe Cristobal was able to hear the frontal lobe combustion inducing "Ouay" pronunciation Bob Cole insisted on throughout the game. "What's that noise?"...you could almost hear the goalie ponder, searching out in the distance.

No such problems last night. No Cole. Needless to say however, no Briere, no Drury, no jump, no bite. The new Sabres, a suddenly toothless shark.

Not that the Habs were thaaaat much better. This shutout victory was painted on a canvass of maligned and blotchy plays. Both teams failed to generate enough offense to gain any momentum. Players were too busy retrieving pucks delivered to their skates, picking up broken sticks or pulling themselves back up after falling for reasons such as no reason whatsoever. Trap A versus Trap B. Devils 1994 against Devils 2001 (how's that for a redundancy). Jacques Lemaire in a Matrix-like rumble against a million other Jacques Lemaires.

Unchanged throughout this bedtime screenplay was the Finding Ryder storyline. If you don't mind leaving me alone with Mike for a second folks, thank you....OK Mike, we're alone now and we've got a few seconds to talk. I think you need to know that you signed a 1-year contract in August, that's 365 days. OK, so the problem Mike is that the agreement you signed lapses at the end of the season. Yeah, it really does. Would it be a major inconvenience to emerge from your coma until that time? Can we induce you out of it, because you seem a bit reluctant. Do you want me to apply a defibrillator to your chest cavity Mike? Should I stab your heart with a needle the way they did to Uma in Pulp Fiction? OK, sure, yeah think about it. You know, I'm just saying...

Despite the Ryder situation, the first line did manage to pressure the Sabres in their zone. It did become apparent during the game that Koivu and Higgins would benefit greatly in welcoming a player like Andrei Kostitsyn to the party. A case of wasted talent on any line other than the top two. Why Montreal coaches remain fixated on quarantining offensive rookies on lines 3 and 4 is beyond comprehension. Promoting defensive awareness in a player that needs to be unleashed to thrive only serves to shackle him. Let the kid run wild. Let him express himself. What is he going to create with Tom Kostopoulos? Titties on the first line, make it happen.

There isn't much to say about the Canadiens' offensive output last night. This was a game choreographed by two defensive minded coaches who once played a sterile and smothering style. No need to discuss then.

The Habs defense is becoming capriciously stingy. All three goals allowed against the Leafs were a product of luck or sub-par goaltending. In the previous game against Philadelphia, they allowed a goal on a weird bounce off a defender and another in the dying seconds of the game on a weak wrist shot that Huet would have wanted back. There are very few mistakes out there and it's becoming increasingly clear that the Canadiens have found a system that has made them difficult to pierce through. Last night was no different, so when the defence and the goalie are on the same wavelength, the result is usually going to be the shutout this team collectively manufactured against the stunted Sabres.

No Sex in the Champagne Room: The FHF Season Preview Presents Cristobal Huet

FHF, in conjunction with Telefilm Canada and StripperCorp, is pleased to offer our Habs season preview with no cover charge. For FHF virgins, you may want to review our trademarked Stripperriffic Rating System before tipping the bouncer.

Likely the biggest reason for the success or failure of the Habs this season, FHF analyses the Canadiens undisputed No. 1 goalie (at least entering the season), Cristobal Huet.

The tits – He plays arguably the most difficult position in the NHL in terms of pressure, so the fact he isn't easily rattled is good. Goaltender of the Year in both the French and Swiss leagues, and was named MVP of the French league as well. And as HF10 pointed out, that international experience will come in handy against Frolunda in November. Decent size at 6ft./194lbs. Technically and positionally sound, and is a student of the game, as he seems to be constantly working with Rollie Melanson to refine his technique. Always seems to have a save percentage well over 90%, which is huge given the Habs seem to perennially lead the league in shots allowed. In the latter stages of the 2005-2006 season, he showed that he is capable of elite level play. Top notch nickname in "Cristo-Wall".

The cellulite – Seems injury prone after suffering major injuries in each of the past two seasons. Not athletically gifted, thus has to rely on positioning so doesn't often make the miraculous save that other elite 'tenders do (except that ankle save on Marian Hossa a couple of years ago – check this out, about 35 seconds in). Not a great puck-handler. For all the awards in his homeland, we should point out that the last great player to come out of France was Phillipe Bozon. Showed flashes of elite form last year, but it wasn't sustained so there is still plenty of doubt about his true upside potential.

Also I'm not a hugh fan of his mask. I like the nod to Habs lore with the ghosts, but it's far from an intimidating ghoul - it looks like the fat ghosts in the live action Casper movie.

The armpit hair – Did he set the bar too high after running Theo out of town? At that time there were comparisons with Kiprusoff, but Huet didn't quite have the follow-up season that Kipper had. He might be very good, but it appears 'great' in the Hall-of-Fame sense is unlikely.

In the VIP room – Even my 95 year old Italian immigrant grandmother who only speaks some Italian dialect knows that Huet is keeping the crease warm for Price's arrival. He's a UFA at the end of the season which will provide some motivation to have a big year. This also means there is a possibility that he may get traded if Price (or Halak) step up and seize the job – just like he did to Theo. However, given Gainey's trade record, I doubt that will ever come to pass – we'll just lose him for nothing next summer. But I'm sure Eklund will start reporting rumours of a trade to Tampa by November. We're finally getting Lecavalier! Right.

Chez Parée bound? – He may not own the place like he did in 2006, but the ladies still know his name and his "preferences".

Lap dances – with Breezer penciled in as the #4 D, I think I have to give him at least an 8.

Signature Song – Let's hope it's not "Can't Stop" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

4 a.m. Smoked Meat Sandwich:

HF33 - Cristobal, c'est à toi que je m'adresse. On doit se parler, Cristo. Le petit Carey va vouloir te déloger, et bientot. S'il réussit l'exploit, l'équipe sera dans la merde, la merde Cristo parce que ça aura coûté une quinzaine de matchs à Bob avant de décider qu'il prèfère confier le boulot à un petit qui n'avait presque pas de poil sur son zizi il y a à peine quelques années. Déconne pas Cristo, préserve ton poste.

HF29 - Goalie of the Year in the Swiss and French leagues are dubious honours at best, but I think Panger's "positionally sound" is not adequate to describe his skills in that area. He's NEVER out of place, which makes him the very solid goalie he is. I'm not booing, I'm shouting "Huuuu-et."

[Panger response: if he was never out of place he'd never give up a goal. Trust me, I know something about giving up goals...]

HF10 - He could win 30 games by himself. He may have to.